Breaking Down Racial Bias With the Author of ‘Biased’

Psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt explains how we can overcome bias by slowing down our thinking

Almost everyone possesses some degree of bias, whether conscious or subconscious. But can grappling with one’s biases consciously change them on a subconscious level?

According to Jennifer Eberhardt, who wrote the book on the subject, the answer is yes. The Stanford psychologist and author of Biased spoke to GEN about how overcoming bias is something we can practice as individuals.

What’s more, she says, institutions from the police to social media apps can find ways to help individuals slow down their thinking to actually override their worst impulses — whether that means cops asking themselves why they are pulling over a Black driver, or a neighborhood watch app asking users why they believe an individual to be acting suspiciously.

“We are all vulnerable to bias, but we’re not acting on bias all the time,” says Eberhardt. “We can slow down, we can replace our intuition with intelligence, we can hold ourselves accountable.”

Talking About Racial Bias With the Author of ‘Biased’